ONLINE EXERCISE CLASS EXPERIENCE AMONG OLDER ADULTS' MEMBERS OF COMMUNITY CENTERS IN HONG KONG DURING COVID-19

Abstract Due to the social distancing measures, community-centres in Hong Kong has been converting exercise classes to online delivery mode through video-conferencing software since the outbreak of COVID-19. The phenomenon is new, and no research has been done to investigate older adults’ experience on it. This study adopted a descriptive qualitative methodologically orientation to understand the phenomenon. Twenty-three older adults (aged 55-89 years), with experience of participating online exercise class since COVID-19 participated in the study. Six major themes regarding their experiences emerged. Regarding positive experiences, older adults experienced convenience, increased exercise regularity, technical transformation and motivation in this new form of home-based exercise. At the same time, they experienced specific technical barriers and compensated supervision quality from the instructor. The findings of the study gave important future research direction and implications to the development of smart aging in community centres in Hong Kong.

promote active aging and maintain a good quality of life in this population, specifically age-friendly living areas.

HOW HAS COVID-19 SHAPED SINGAPORE OLDER ADULTS' ATTITUDES TOWARD TECHNOLOGY?
W. Quin Yow 1 , Tharshini Lokanathan 1 , and Wayne Chong 2 , 1. Singapore University of Technology & Design,Singapore,Singapore,2. Nanyang Technological University,Singapore,Singapore,Singapore This study investigated Singapore older adults' attitudes toward technology during the COVID-19 pandemic when in-person socializations have been negatively impacted. One hundred and forty-four older adults (range = 60-85 years old) participated in a large-scale survey that included questions such as their attitudes toward technology, severity and fear of COVID, as well as frequency of social support and contact with relatives and friends. Results revealed that the more severe the COVID situation in their area was, the more they believe that technology is useful and could enhance their effectiveness, and the more they like the idea of using technology in their daily activities, Fs>6.60, Bs>1.71, ps<.01. Furthermore, social support could facilitate the adoption of technology in older adults, F=6.31, B=.89, p=.013. Paradoxically, the fear of COVID could collaterally increase the hesitation of using technology in older adults for fear of making mistakes they cannot correct, F=8.50, B=1.30, p=.004.

ONLINE EXERCISE CLASS EXPERIENCE AMONG OLDER ADULTS' MEMBERS OF COMMUNITY CENTERS IN HONG KONG DURING COVID-19
Janet Lok Chun Lee 1 , Vivian Wei Qun Lou 2 , and Rick Kwan 3 , 1. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2. The University of Hong Kong,Hong Kong,Hong Kong,Hong Kong,3. Tung Wah College,Hong Kong,Hong Kong Due to the social distancing measures, community-centres in Hong Kong has been converting exercise classes to online Innovation in Aging, 2022, Vol. 6, No. S1 delivery mode through video-conferencing software since the outbreak of COVID-19. The phenomenon is new, and no research has been done to investigate older adults' experience on it. This study adopted a descriptive qualitative methodologically orientation to understand the phenomenon. Twenty-three older adults (aged 55-89 years), with experience of participating online exercise class since COVID-19 participated in the study. Six major themes regarding their experiences emerged. Regarding positive experiences, older adults experienced convenience, increased exercise regularity, technical transformation and motivation in this new form of home-based exercise. At the same time, they experienced specific technical barriers and compensated supervision quality from the instructor. The findings of the study gave important future research direction and implications to the development of smart aging in community centres in Hong Kong.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES ON LATER-LIFE DEPRESSION: THE ROLE OF BRAIN HEALTH Chair: Ann Steffen Discussant: Jennifer Moye
Bi-directional associations between depression and cognitive functioning are magnified among aging individuals, challenging behavioral health providers who treat older adults experiencing clinical and subsyndromal depression. This symposium contributes to the science and practice of assessing and treating later-life depression while also attending to issues in professional training. The first paper presents pre-treatment data from the multi-site Optimum Study of older adults experiencing treatment-resistant depression (n = 529). The relevance of positive psychological constructs is supported with analyses showing important relationships among cognitive functioning, social participation, and psychological well-being. The second paper describes the development of an updated measure to assess behavioral health providers' knowledge of later life depression, including brain health concerns. Psychometric data for the measure were generated from a random pool of licensed social workers (N=900) who were mailed the survey packet. The third presentation features an experimental study demonstrating that foundational information about aging, including debunking misconceptions about cognitive aging, influenced continuing education preferences of generalist Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs). Among the randomly generated pool of LPCs (N = 120), participants who received aging-specific information were more likely to later choose an aging-specific continuing education option. The fourth paper highlights recommendations for mental health practitioners working in primary care and general medical settings with older adults who have co-existing depressive symptoms and cognitive concerns. The fifth and final presentation describes cognitive behavioral clinical tools to address brain health concerns in the context of later-life depression, using the new Brain Health module of a published client workbook. Geriatric psychiatry research has documented the importance of psychological well-being to older adults diagnosed with depression (Lenze et al., 2016). This presentation utilizes pre-treatment data from the Optimum Study of treatment-resistant depression in older adults recruited from five USA and Canadian metropolitan areas (N = 529). Social participation was measured with the PROMIS scale: Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities (Hahn et al., 2014). Positive affect and life satisfaction were assessed using scales from the Psychological Well-Being subdomain (Salsman et al., 2013) of the NIH Toolbox for Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function -Emotion Battery (NIHTB-EB). Along with associations between social participation and positive affect (r = .38, p < .01) and between social participation and life satisfaction (r = .26, p < .01), path analyses explored social participation as a mediator of the relationship between cognitive functioning (NIHTB-CB; Weintraub et al., 2013) and psychological well-being.

MEASURING PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF LATER LIFE DEPRESSION
Abby Laine, and Ann Steffen, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States Research linking behavioral health providers' knowledge of later life depression to their clinical practices and patient outcomes is restricted by outdated measures. A multi-stage study was conducted to ameliorate this gap. Qualitative interviews with geropsychology content experts (N = 5) generated 49 true/false items capturing relevant concepts in later life depression, including brain health concerns. Additional content experts (N = 10) completed the questionnaire and a card sort task placing items into categories (Psychopathology, Assessment/Diagnosis, Treatment, Other) to understand measurement structure. This resulted in retention of 42 items. A random pool of licensed social workers (N=900) were mailed the survey packet with option to complete via return mail or online. This presentation will review scale psychometrics, reliability, and construct validity among MSWs from diverse clinical backgrounds. Associations between participant characteristics and knowledge of cognitive and other depressive symptoms will also be highlighted.

SHAPING PREFERENCES FOR AGING-SPECIFIC CONTINUING EDUCATION BY LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS
Nicholas Schmidt 1 , and Ann Steffen 2 , 1. Boston VA Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 2. University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States Although the prevalence of depression, like many other mental health disorders, declines with age, older adults who seek behavioral health services often present with depressive symptoms mixed with cognitive complaints. This creates challenges for generalist practitioners, who are responsible for the majority of mental health care of aging individuals. Ageism and misconceptions about older adults are theorized barriers to clinicians seeking aging-specific specialty training. This completed experimental study showed that assignment to receiving foundational information about aging, including debunking common misconceptions about cognitive aging, influenced choice of continuing education (CE) preferences of generalist Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs). Among the randomly